London, Dec. 21 (ANI): Sacked coach Mark Hughes gave Manchester City’s wealthy sheikh owners 250,000 pounds of his own money to help buy Craig Bellamy.

According to The Sun, Hughes spent Sunday in secret two-hour talks with one of the country’s top employment barristers, Paul Gilroy.

Hughes, who was replaced by former Inter Milan boss RobertoMancini, knew he was to be axed only when he read it on The Sun’s back page on Saturday morning.

Yet he had proved how committed he was to City by dipping into his own pocket to help buy one of the club’s star performers.

Bellamy was signed up for 14-million pounds in January this year, but the deal nearly collapsed when City found themselves 250,000 pounds short.

Chief executive Garry Cook frantically told Hughes the deal could not be completed - so the City boss lent the money to clinch the signing.

Bellamy and goalkeeper Shay Given have been the real hits at City, and those two led a six-player delegation to see Cook on Saturday to protest at Hughes’ sacking.

A furious Hughes listened yesterday to advice from top barrister Gilroy who helped Alan Curbishley win his unfair dismissal case against WestHam. (ANI)